Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-05-06

The Empress Doesn't Get Along Well
with Her Husband, and She Detesta
the Crown Princess-Facts Not Gener.
ally known.
When Emperor William receives a
stranger he looks at him sharply and gives
the impression that he is turning over in
his mind whether the person before him
would be more suitable as q hussar, a
cuirassier, n dragoon or n mere infantry.
man. His face is wrinkled to an extraor-
dinary degree, and the look of the eyes is
somewhat sad. But the face lightens up
with kindly smile as the old gentleman
gives a military twist upward to his snow
white mustaches The emperor talks in
short sentences. His conversation is of
the brusquc, stocky nature affected by
old soldiers who prefer hearty shake of
the hand to fine speeches.
He used to be able to speak French
pretty wei, but has now almost forgotten
it, only remembering few set ceremonial
phrases, which he uses in addressing the
French ambassador or ambassadress.
English he still speaks correctly. having
learned il thoroughly when, after the sad
events of 1913, he was forced to spend al
most two years in England. The EN-.
peror has never had any pretensions to be
considered man interested in science OF
art. Together with Prince Bismarck and
Field Marshal Count Moltke, he takes
pride in never having set his foot inside a
museum or exhibition of pictures. The
only French novel which he has ever read
is the "Wandering Jew.n His table is
covered with military pamphlets, and
every week he glances through The Lon.
don illustrated News, Graphic and The
French Illustration. There is q certain
kind of mysticism pervading the old
gentleman's manner and conversation. II
is even discernible in the sympathetic
tones of his voice. He ascribes every.
thing to Divine Providence. Nor must il
be supposed for one instant that this is
merely figure Of speech to be produced
for the benefit of the public. On the con.
trary, his life shows that he is pervaded
with the idea that in everything he is the
mere instrument of the Almighty.
AN ILL TEMPERED EMPRESS.
Early in the morning, about 10 o'clock
the empress makes point of visiting the
emperor in his study. This is the only
time during the whole of the twenty-foul
hours when husband and wife see eacE
other without witnesses. OF course, moth
ing certain is known about their converse
tion on these occasions, but presumably
politics are not referred to- Since the fall
of her favorite Count Arnim the empress
has withdrawn from all interference in the
affairs of the government, and has ever
become recOnciled to her former owr
particular enemy, Prince Bismarck
1t is somewhat amusing to know
that the only newspaper which she
reads is The Paris Temps, which
she prefers to all others, even The Cologne
Gazette. In the evening, toward 1(
O'Clock, the emperor makes his way VI
stairs toward the empress tea table, where
he invariably spends about twenty min
utes to half an hour in gossiping with heI
and with her pet cronies, the Duke an6
Duchess of Sagan.
He always maintains the most complete
equanimity of temper, and if his wife is
more than usually irritable he merely
shrugs his shoulders with q smile and
mutters something about her "Russiar
blood, alluding, no doubt, TO the fact OF
her being direct descendant Of the crazy
Emperor Paul Of Russia. The subject
which above all others forms the favoritt
topic of the empress conversation is the
unpleasantness which exists between her
self and her daughter-in-law, the crown
princess, whom, Notwithstanding all ap
pearances to the contrary, she most cor
daily detests. Both the emperor and EN-
press feel and believe that the moment the
new sovereign succeeds to the throne most
of their old servants viii be got rid of and
perhaps the whole policy of the empire
changed. The empress is most bitter on
the subject, and often asserts that when
her husband dies she viii take up hel
quarters at Rempe, since her life not only
at Berlin, but even anywhere else in Ger
many, would be rendered perfectly impos
sible by the new empress, whom she alludes
to as an alien with new tangled notions
whose pernicious influence has already de
prived her of the affection and respect OF
her only son.
THE EMPERoR's SEVERITY.
Meanwhile at the palace of the crown
prince the evaporation at the present
state of affairs daily grows intense Sc
jealous is the old emperor of every vestige
of his power, that he makes a point of
keeping the crown prince as much as
possible q stranger to everything that
is going on. The authority of the head
Of the family is one of the most sacred
principles of the Hohenzollern dynasty,
and until 1858, when the present emperor
became prince regent, both he and his
wife were subject to the caprices and
often ridiculous orders Of the reigning
sovereign, who was an elder brother.
In their turn the emperor and empress
are treating the crown prince, and
especially his wife, with q similar and
almost incredible severity The prince is
unable to make a single step in any direc-